I have previously shared my versatile banana cake recipe and a banana & walnut loaf recipe. I always seem to have masses of bananas in my freezer now that I am successfully growing bananas at home and had always heard people talk about banana bread but I was never quite sure whether it was just banana loaf or something different - so I investigated ... There seems to be a lot of confusion about what the difference actually is between banana cake, banana loaf and banana bread. A … [Read more...]
Filipino Banana Ketchup Recipe
This Filipino Banana Ketchup recipe was given to me by my friend Melissa when I put out a request for what to make with a hundred Lady Finger bananas ripening all at once. I'm not complaining but previously they have spaced out their ripening so I don't have to deal with them all at once! 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped peeled ginger 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 1/4 tsp ground allspice 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 chilli, seeded and chopped (adjust quantity … [Read more...]
Making Dried Bananas using a Dehydrator
This post describes how to make dried bananas using a dehydrator at home. I have previously posted about my success (finally) growing lady finger bananas at home. Up until now the bananas have ripened gradually (sometimes with some help by putting some in a paper bag with an apple) but recently I was faced with the challenge of having literally a hundred bananas all ripening at once! My freezer wasn't going to be able to cope with all these bananas, although I did freeze one big bag of bananas … [Read more...]
Banana Passionfruit Oat Muffins
Banana Passionfruit Oat Muffins are a variation on my favourite Blueberry Banana Oat Muffin recipe. My Lady Finger Banana trees are really enjoying the extra heat this summer and producing large bunches of bananas. I happened to have some passionfruit ripe at the same time and thought banana, passionfruit and coconut would be a great combination. I like the recipe using oats as it seems to be a healthier option than more 'cake-like' muffins, and means that I am happy to have them for a breakfast … [Read more...]
Banana & Walnut Loaf Recipe
It is good to have a foolproof recipe for using up ripe bananas - and this Banana & Walnut Loaf is one of those. I always seem to have some in the freezer but this year I have a LOT of bananas. My Lady Finger Banana trees started producing fruit and I was concerned that I might get a couple of hundred bananas all ripening at once. Thankfully they freeze well and I grouped them into lots that were roughly the same size as 2 standard bananas, peeled and sliced them, and packed the pieces … [Read more...]
Strawberry & Banana Jam Recipe
My Lady Finger bananas are now producing well but this means that you have to do something with 100 or so bananas all ripening at once. I decided to try making Strawberry & Banana Jam. I regularly use Jam Setting Sugar that has pectin in it to make quick and easy fruit jams - you just need 1kg of whatever fruit or fruit combination you happen to have available. 500g hulled strawberries (I used frozen) 500g peeled bananas 1kg jam setting sugar ~10g knob of butter Mash strawberries … [Read more...]
Caramelised Banana Jam Recipe
Bananas aren't the first fruit you think of for making jam, but this Caramelised Banana Jam recipe brings in a whole range of delicious flavours. If you want more of a Caribbean flavour, then add some rum at the end of the process. I had 2 big bunches of Lady Finger bananas that were ripening all at once so that I had hundreds of bananas to use up all at once. I'd frozen several large bags of peeled bananas to use for making banana cake, blueberry banana muffins and banana icecream - and … [Read more...]
Rhubarb & Banana Jam
Late summer in the garden: rhubarb flopping everywhere, huge bunches of bananas ripening at once, and then reading in a gardening magazine that Rhubarb & Banana Jam is a thing - and a delicious one at that. Who would have thought it? I wasn't 100% convinced to start with so I added a few strawberries as well to give it some more flavour and juice, and used a tried and true simple jam making method that uses jam setting sugar (with pectin already included for you). 500g rhubarb … [Read more...]
Growing Bananas at Home – Success!
Back in 2015 I first wrote about growing bananas at home and how I had got some ladyfinger banana suckers from my friend Michele. Three years on I have finally seen success: this year I have 3 bunches of bananas. I had been beginning to wonder whether I would ever see success with my bananas. I had taken care to provide water and nutrients. Soil moisture is apparently one of the most important factors: lack of water at any time may cause a reduction in fruit numbers and size. Even though … [Read more...]
Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins
Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or an anytime snack. Blueberries, bananas, oats and eggs are stuffed full of health benefits so are perfect to include in your diet every day and these muffins make it possible for you to enjoy them any time. 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) 2 eggs 2 cup rolled oats 2 bananas, medium ripe 1 cup brown sugar* 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla essence Preheat oven to 200C. Grease a muffin pan or line with baking … [Read more...]